Flurries

Stomach grumbles and I joke with my host sister, Rupa, about 'WWIII' between 'joano' (home remedy of oregano seeds) and whatever seems to be setting up shop in my gut these days. Ah, the joys of travel.

I'm downing several cups of black tea these days as I ward off the cold, nurse my digestive tract, and strive to stay focused on work for the Nepal Youth Social Forum. The event begins tomorrow and continues through New Year's Eve, and is bringing together now an estimated 1,000 youth. I have been in charge of organizing one of the 18 parallel workshops that will take place tomorrow afternoon. This workshop about the role of the international community in peacebuilding and strengthening democracy in Nepal has already proved quite an adventure. Our initial vision was to have two paper presenters (one Nepali, one international) and one commentator for each paper. After completely striking out in finding an international presenter due to holiday festivities, and after two Nepalis who were once confirmed and then fell through, it turns out I will be presenting and facing comments from three prominent Nepali men-- one lawyer and two active in International Non-Governmental Organizations.

The most recent paper presenter sent me an email yesterday morning informing me of a family emergency that took him away from Kathmandu, so I put my academic toolbox into action and began reading, analyzing, consolidating a few International Crisis Group reports. Of course, our office region had to face our turn with the rolling blackout last night for 2.5 hours, but despite this I sent off my work to the commentators this morning. Upon arriving at the office today, I took a moment before entering to take a photo of the plethora of shoes that decorated the entrance. The office is alive with the buzz of pre-event excitement and logistical finalizations.

Needless to say, this holiday time has been one of the most unique I've experienced. Christmas Day Rupa helped me decorate the office with a small plastic tree, a small string of lights, and a Merry Christmas sign. I handed out some socks stuffed with candy, peanuts, and oranges and received many 'Happy Christmas' in reply. Rupa also adorned me with a special red tika for the occasion. Otherwise, the day was full of work in coordinating for NYSF... Next post will attempt to capture some of its essence...